FRESH EGG PASTA Pasta alla Uovo
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, or as needed
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon
salt
Warm water as needed.
Spoon 2 2/3 cups flour into the work bowl of a large capacity food processor , fitted with the metallic blade.
Beat the eggs, salt and olive oil together in a
small bowl until blended. With the motor running pour the egg mixture into the feed
tube. Â Process until the ingredients form a rough and slightly sticky dough. If the mixture is too dry , drizzle a very small amount
of warm water into the feed tube and continue processing. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl onto a lightly floured wooden surface.
Knead
the dough by gathering into a compact ball , then pushing the ball away from you with the heels of your hands. Repeat the gathering
and pushing motion several times , then press into the dough with the knuckles of one hand, then with the other, several times. Alternate
between kneading and "knuckling "the dough until it is smooth, silky and elastic---it pulls back into shape when you stretch it. The
process will require 5 to 10 minutes of constant kneading. , slightly longer if you prepared the dough by hand.
Roll the dough into
a smooth ball and place in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 1 hour, or up to one day in the refrigerator
, before rolling and shaping the pasta. If the dough has been refrigerated , let it come to room temperature for about an hour before
rolling and shaping.
Use a pasta machine to roll and shape the pasta or do it by hand.
By Hand:
Cut the rested dough into 4 equal pieces
and cover them with a kitchen towel. Working with one piece at a time , roll the pasta out on a slightly floured surface to a rectangle
about 10 x 20 inches. Dust the work surface with flour just enough to keep the dough from sticking; too much flour will make the dough
difficult to roll. If the dough springs back when you try to roll it , recover it with the kitchen towel and let it rest 10 to 15
minutes. Start rolling another piece and come back to the first once it has had a chance to rest. Let the pasta sheets rest ,separated
by kitchen towels, at least 15 minutes before cutting them into fettuccini or 1/2 inch noodles.
Fresh Spinach Pasta
Defrost one package
of frozen cut spinach. Squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible with your hands. (Wrap "dried" spinach in a kitchen towel
and continue to squeeze to get the spinach as dry as possible. ) The drier the spinach is, the less flour the pasta dough will absorb
and the more tender the finished pasta will be. Combine the eggs called for in the recipe above and the squeezed spinach in the work
bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until the spinach is finely chopped. Proceed as above , substituting
the spinach egg mixture for the eggs called for in the recipe. It is likely the spinach-pasta dough will take a little more flour
during mixing and kneading , even if you have been very careful to squeeze out the water.